Change mat for baby : Kara

Yesterday I made this change mat for my baby due in January. I had been looking at change mats online and in stores - they were either horrible or really expensive... so I finally just made one!

I used some leftover polyester quilting fabric that I had lying around and recycled denim and kiddy print (it's hobby horses which are actually zebras).

Lucy carry-all by kara smith

Yesterday (Sunday) I made Lucy.

I was feeling a bit out of sorts and wanted to be creative and try something outside my regular patterns. I had some old vinyl bag handles that I had been meaning to use for a while and the base of the bag is an old 60's hot pink heavy cotton dress that I wanted to make something funky with.

Mend and Make do

This week's task was a little something for a local company I do a bit of work for, Earthly Goods. Earthly Goods creates bespoke quilts and homewares for customers, with a sustainable ethos, using recycled and vintage fabrics, hemp and organic cotton wadding.

Many people may have a stash of special fabrics or embroidered linens, without really having a way to make use of them. So the idea behind Earthly Goods is to take these precious fabrics and showcase them on a quilt or some such so they can be enjoyed in daily life.

No project is too big, or too small, as can be seen by this little makeup case I whipped up for an Earthly Goods client.

A

This week

Custom orders everywhere! I guess its good but there is a lot of tooing and froing to get each customer something totally unique that they love. This is what I am doing all week. Doesn't help when the car is dead (new clutch needs to be fitted)... arghhh!

Above is some beautiful recycled woven silks, ready to create an exclusive tote for a customer.

Kara

Handmade handbags

Yesterday I got my first delivery of handbags made by a local lady, Pat, in Leura. This is an exciting step for me to have some help producing my delicious handmade handbags and she has done a great job. Above is two that she has done, aren't they great?!

It's very hard to know how to expand your business and still have control over things. By having Pat sew locally it means my hard earned money stays within our Blue Mountains Community, which makes me really happy.

Kara

Wife

These two beautiful cushions are made by Wife, and I swapped them for one of my vintage clutches over the weekend at Hope Street Markets. Nicole (the maker) uses fabulous recycled materials (including the interior of these cushions!). It was lovely to meet someone with the same ethos.

I've picked up the following from Georgielove's site:

Wife. wearables for you + your home

A bold and adventurous collection of one-of-a-kind home ware and accessories individually designed and made by Sydney-based visual & performing artist, Nicole Barakat. Wife. offers a contemporary twist on traditional textiles, craft and the domestic. Wife. products are sustainable and designed with a sensitivity towards their distinctive materials, which are almost always 100% reused. All products are hand made and carefully crafted using the finest of fabrics including lush natural fibres like wool, silk, cotton and linen.

About the maker. Nicole Barakat

I’ve been ‘making’ in some way for as long as I can remember and feel as though I entered this world with a needle and (red) thread in my hand. Cloth and textiles have always been part of my creative process. My products give me a space to play with colour, texture and the exciting elements of traditional textile and craft processes. My practice focuses on finding the unexpected by drawing on that which is familiar. I am fascinated with the languages we are able to create through the manipulation of materials and processes. I currently lecture in the Textiles department at the UNSW College of Fine Arts.

Handmade

This morning I created this lush big bag, Mirabel, out of recycled fine silk fabric. She would be perfect for a snazzy night out but also as a big, practical bag for a blushing bride's wedding night. I still haven't really looked into the whole bridal thing - its another world, but definately something to consider...

Had a weekend in Newcastle and very happy to be back in the cold Mountains!

Kara